Submarine wall



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

D. SPANGLER.

SUBMARINE WALL. No. 325,127. Patented Aug. 25; 1885.

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D. SPANGLER.

I SUBMARINE WALL. No. 325,127. Patented Aug. 25, 1885.

{No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3. D. SPANGLER.

SUBMARINE WALL.

No. 325,127. Patented Aug. 25, 1885.

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ATENT Erica,

DANIEL SPANGLER, OF HANFORD, CALIFORNIA.

SUBMARINE WALL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 325,127, dated August25,1885.

Application filed May 29, 1885.

T0 aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I. DANIEL SPANGLER, a citizen of the United States, anda resident of Hanford, in the county of Tulare and State of California,have invented certain newand useful Improvements in Submarine YValls;and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, which will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification,and in which- Figure 1 represents a plan of the harbor of Galveston,Texas, taken ior example, showing the manner of applying my improvedsubmarine wall thereto. Fig. 2 is a plan View of a section of river orstream provided with my improvement. Fig. 3 is a perspective View of asection of the wall, showing that side which faces upstream. Fig. I is asimilar view of the opposite side, or that side which faces downstream.Fig. 5 is a. vertical crosssection on the line 00 00, Fig. 4.; and Fig.6 is a detail perspective view of one of the panels.

Similar letters of reference indicate corre sponding parts in all thefigures.

My invention relates to submarine walls; and it has for its object toprovide rivers, streams, and other bodies of water with means forgoverning and conducting their tides and currents.

To this end my invention consists in the improved construction andarrangement of parts of such a wall, as will be hereinafter more fullydescribed and claimed.

In the drawings, the letters A B O D each mark a row of piles, which runparallel to each other, and are driven perpendicularly to a considerabledepth in the bed of the river. The two outer rows, A and l), projectonly a small distance above the bed and form abutments for the braces Eand F, which extend to the tops of the inner rows, 13 and C, of thepiles. The row B extends about half as high, more or less, as row 0.

G- ll'ltllCZLt-QS the uprights ol' the panels, to which are secured onboth sides the planks H, which are made water-tight and form the facingof the wall. These planks extend as high as the low-water mark, and uponthe bottom of each panel is secured a horizontal (No model.)

plank, I, which, with the side planks, complete a box incasing theuprights, and when the panels are ready to be set this box is filledwith sand or other suitable ballast.

At the tops of the uprights are secured planks J, to which are hingedthe swinging doors K, adapted to swing in one direction only, as shownin the drawings. The ends of each panel are scarfed together throughouttheir height by the scarf-planks or interlocking timbers L and M, asshown in Fig. 6, and are capable of being raised one from between theothers.

In the illustration Fig. 1 I have shown a line of my wall H running in acircular form to hem in a portion of the area of the bay, and form apond near its month, an open space, I, being left at the point where itis desired to direct the current. At the point mark ed K, on thedrawings, there are two lines of wall, one on each bank of the mouth oroutlet of the bay, and these lines of wall converge in the direction ofthe stream, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The manner of building this wallis as follows: After having surveyed the track for the wall, the pilesare driven in the proper position. Then the panels, which may be builton land, are floated out and lowered in position between the piles, andthe space between the sides of the wall is filled with sand or othersuitable ballast, thus anchoring them firmly upon the bed of the riverbetween the two rows of piles B and C.

When my wall is to be used in rivers, 850., it may be planked up on itsfaces from top to bottom, thus dispensing with the swinging gates; butwhere it is desired to scour out a channel in a bay or harbor by theinfluence of heavy tides, I use the wall constructed with the swinginggates, as shown in the drawings.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the drawings,it will readily be seen that when my wall is substantially placed in ariver or stream at a depth so that the low-water mark will be at thebottom of the swinging doors, and the tide flows, the pressure of thewater will open the doors, which remain open until the tide begins toebb, when the doors are at once closed, thus conducting the water to thedirection of the line of wall as it nears the bed of the river or bodyof water. This device may be used of fectually in removing sand-bars, aswell as to form a channel and clean out the beds of rivers and streamsby the described method.

I am aware that a submarine wall has been heretofore constructedcomprising parallel rows of perpendicular piles provided withconnecting-braces, and vertically-removable interlocking panels orsections provided with gates arranged to open in one direction only; andI do not therefore claim such construclion, broadly; but

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent ofthe United States, is-

1. In a submarine wall, the combination of parallel rows ofperpendicular piles provided with connecting-braces, andvertically-removable interlocking panels or sections,saicl panels orsections being provided at their tops with outwardly-swinging hingedgates and having their bulk or body composed of upright timbers, withfacing-planks and a bottom plank which form an incasemcnt or box for there ception of suitable ballast, substantially as and for the purposeshown and set forth.

2. The combination of the parallel rows of vertical piles, the movableinterlocking panels disposed between and braced by the inner rows ofpiles, and the gates forming part of the panels and adapted to swing oropen in one direction only, substantially as and for the purpose shownand set forth.

3. A panel for submarine walls, consisting of a rectangular frameadaptedto be placed vertically between supporting piles or timbers forming aclosed box or receptacle at its lower end,adapted to be loaded with asuitable ballast, and having a swinging gate or gates at its upper part,the lower edge of which impinges upon the upper edgeiof the boX part,substantially as and for the purpose shown and set forth.

I11 testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereuntoaffixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

DANIEL SPANGLER.

lVitnesses:

J. T. BAKER, JUL. THONSTRUP.

